CGC and pressing...need some insight guys

JWMcComas · 07-30-2012, 06:06 PM

Ok SO...i have this vengeance of Bane that i posted a pic of here awhile ago...and i am getting ready to send it in for grading. as i am really looking it over i notice there is some indented area on the cover. you can only see it when you hold it up to a light and see the light reflect off the cover. kind of like a person took 6 sheets of paper and laid them on the book and made a squiggly mark. is this what pressing is for? and whom is the go to ppl for pressing? thanks in advance guys!

IndySportsCards · 07-30-2012, 06:31 PM

I've never pressed a book, but Cujobyte here on the BO forums does pressing, he might be able to give us some insight.

Gibberish · 07-30-2012, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWMcComas

Ok SO...i have this vengeance of Bane that i posted a pic of here awhile ago...and i am getting ready to send it in for grading. as i am really looking it over i notice there is some indented area on the cover. you can only see it when you hold it up to a light and see the light reflect off the cover. kind of like a person took 6 sheets of paper and laid them on the book and made a squiggly mark. is this what pressing is for? and whom is the go to ppl for pressing? thanks in advance guys!

From what I read pressing will remove those.
However, unless you buy a dry press, I would pay a company to do it.

Classics Incorporated - Marvel, DC, CGC Comics, Pressing, Removal, Pro-screens, Pedigrees, Leaf casting, Leafcasting, comic shows

I have seen the difference between pressed and unpressed and it is amazing.

Gibberish · 07-30-2012, 08:31 PM

Your thread motivated me

I have several books that are 3-4 grades lower than they could be because of ripples/water issues.
I have an Xmen #47 that is so vibrant it looks brand new. The down side is it has a massive number of ripples on the front. I had debated on finding a seal press to attempt to practice this technique and if I can refine the process of doing it, actually offer it as a service.
So, I call the "Find it" guy locally and he said he knew exactly what I was after and why as his mother had one she used to press flowers and other such items for a hobby. he said he would see if she still has it and let me use it to practice with and if I am able to get the general concept down,sell it to me cheap

With that in mind, your issue has to be a fairly common one so I intend to take a sheet of paper and press hard and write my name so it presses through and onto the comic and see if it can be resolved this way as well
Been thinking about getting a press for about 2 months now, your post motivated me to give it a go

IndySportsCards · 07-30-2012, 09:55 PM

Let us know how it works out. I suggest you start on some rubbish books first, like, oh, I don't know... Superboy?

Gibberish · 07-30-2012, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IndySportsCards

Let us know how it works out. I suggest you start on some rubbish books first, like, oh, I don't know... Superboy?

Oh
I am going to practice with water only washing using a mister ,to remove water stains as well. I figure since the book is already water damaged, It will be ok if it goes south

I also know that pressing will remove those pen impressions,just depends how much depending on how deep they are. Working on reading up on how to "brace" books with square spines to ensure they don't go flat in the process

The problem is NONE of these guys will share and that's sad.
I can clean MOST pre 1901 sports cards/Non-Sports cards and have always shared how it's done. I guess others would rather make money rather than give someone the option of doing it themselves.
I still get people offering me cards and cash for repair even though I have disclosed how most of it is done. Some people just dont have the stomach or confidence to do it themselves

Cujobyte · 07-31-2012, 03:18 AM

Yup, I do pressing. And that's Matt's company (Classics Incorporated). I learned from the same guy who taught him.

It's much to late to go into any detail, but pm me if any questions. Good luck learning it on your own Gibberish, yes I'd suggest lot of practice.

JWMcComas · 07-31-2012, 04:51 PM

am i understanding that a simple heat press is what is being used?? the reason i ask...i have access to a very nice pneumatic press and i own a manual press....both are capable of insanely high temps and pressures. though i would think you wouldnt need near what the capabilities are lol

Gibberish · 07-31-2012, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JWMcComas

am i understanding that a simple heat press is what is being used?? the reason i ask...i have access to a very nice pneumatic press and i own a manual press....both are capable of insanely high temps and pressures. though i would think you wouldnt need near what the capabilities are lol

Per what I have red, different problems require different levels of heat and temp
Seems to flatten out a wrinkled book, 185-195 temp and 30lbs pressure.
Your issue would be, and I think it should be obvious, you have a square bound book. So doing the above MAY cause damage or compression. Now this is without knowing WHAT I am talking about in relation to comics,just common sense since the binding is slightly higher than the far side where the pages meet.
I have a pile of cheap comics,stuff I give to kids who stop in and I intend to try varying degrees of pressure and heat on multiple different issues.
Then again, my "Find it guy" has yet to Find me one

Gibberish · 08-03-2012, 02:14 PM

Ok
Found out I do NOT have to buy a press

My partner runs a framing shop and...they use those,so I have one

Albeit it is a MONSTER. He said he would be able to press comics easily and safely. he did say that some books with severe condition issues could actually be damaged by pressing.
So, I have 6 books that I am going to before/after and see how it goes using his 21 years of framing EXP applied to comics :0
I told him if this was successful we could actually market a service locally and on forums at 10.00/book. I told him most pressing services adjust the rate due to a books age,but if there is no liability issues then there would be no need to scale pricing.
Anyway, will have some examples tomorrow or Tuesday up to see

IndySportsCards · 08-03-2012, 02:20 PM

That's exciting news Gibberish. Looking forward to seeing/hearing about the results

Gibberish · 08-03-2012, 02:33 PM

Yah, he already explained a few things to me.
Said there is a type of paper called Archival/Transfer that has to be on top and bottom. Says nothing will stick to it,so it is best. Also said have to press both sides and then apply pressure once it is done, at room temp. I am excited myself as well

Gibberish · 08-03-2012, 03:19 PM

2 books i will be trying
1 has minor damage and the difference in grade would be .2-.5 IMO

Minor spine crease and minor ripple at the staple

MAJOR issues on this one
It was water logged which, IMO, actually helped preserve the book since I am assuming it was tossed in a book after drying. The color is bordering on new/mint but the ripples still remain

Spine shows minor stress and there is minor water stains visible in on the tops of the letters in X-Men. As it sits it's a 5. I will press it and hope it would be closer to a 7 and then I am going to try a processes using water only to remove the stains then repress it. If the stains go away,after repressing, I think the book would be an 8-8.5
Anyway,this should be fun !

IndySportsCards · 08-04-2012, 05:53 PM

Here are some examples from a guy who has been posting of his restoration and pressing work

Gibberish · 08-04-2012, 06:42 PM

Saw those a few weeks back,they are from years ago.

The issues are no one wants to talk about techniques. It's all HUSH HUSH
Sour dough bread,Rice paste,heat seal paper,etc. they just show you pics and try to keep it a mystery

The logic behind it is silly. It is predisposed to assume everyone else is a crook and will restore and destroy the market.

My 1st go at pressing was educational

Needless to say that some newer books cannot be pressed with the staples in the book due to the metal heating up and pulling ink off of the pages....C'est la vie Poyo SDCC signed variant

I was able to remove all ripples from the Xmen book....and then after cold weight cooling...new one's popped up. I am assuming these were caused by inaccurate temperate and pressure. left Oliver with a few ideas and will check them on Tuesday.

I am willing to consider staple removal to remove spine stress on newer books as that has to be the only way to remove stress creases on those Image titles with the staple issue I noticed today. I thought at 1st lowering the temp may do it, but then common sense kicked in,the pressure was part of the factor as well and reducing both would show little to no improvement.

Anyway, blindly I go, a learning process with a nasty curve,but onward I do go

Gibberish · 08-04-2012, 06:45 PM

BTW
found Erasers for sell on ebay with the following image as to show what Archival erasers can do

That explains entry level dry cleaning.
Not really keen on wiping a comic with Bread though :P
Also with the erasers, you have to wear gloves evidently or your oils can leech into the eraser...which is bad I assume

Cujobyte · 08-05-2012, 06:37 AM

Here's one of the books I pressed, was formerly 9.2ish at best. I've pressed for others, but rarely have time to do it lately. Good luck gib in your learnings tho!! Just use cheapy books lol.

Gibberish · 08-05-2012, 12:35 PM

Still trying to figure out how to press the newer books without the staple doing damage to the inside of the book

07-30-2012, 06:06 PM	#1
JWMcComas Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: St George, UTAH Posts: 456	CGC and pressing...need some insight guys Ok SO...i have this vengeance of Bane that i posted a pic of here awhile ago...and i am getting ready to send it in for grading. as i am really looking it over i notice there is some indented area on the cover. you can only see it when you hold it up to a light and see the light reflect off the cover. kind of like a person took 6 sheets of paper and laid them on the book and made a squiggly mark. is this what pressing is for? and whom is the go to ppl for pressing? thanks in advance guys! __________________ Hi!

07-30-2012, 06:31 PM	#2
IndySportsCards Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: EO 13848 Posts: 41,661 braco0 IndySportsCards	I've never pressed a book, but Cujobyte here on the BO forums does pressing, he might be able to give us some insight. __________________ Most people would rather be in the majority, than be right.

07-30-2012, 09:55 PM	#5
IndySportsCards Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: EO 13848 Posts: 41,661 braco0 IndySportsCards	Let us know how it works out. I suggest you start on some rubbish books first, like, oh, I don't know... Superboy? __________________ Most people would rather be in the majority, than be right.

07-31-2012, 04:51 PM	#8
JWMcComas Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: St George, UTAH Posts: 456	am i understanding that a simple heat press is what is being used?? the reason i ask...i have access to a very nice pneumatic press and i own a manual press....both are capable of insanely high temps and pressures. though i would think you wouldnt need near what the capabilities are lol __________________ Hi!

08-03-2012, 02:14 PM	#10
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	Ok Found out I do NOT have to buy a press My partner runs a framing shop and...they use those,so I have one Albeit it is a MONSTER. He said he would be able to press comics easily and safely. he did say that some books with severe condition issues could actually be damaged by pressing. So, I have 6 books that I am going to before/after and see how it goes using his 21 years of framing EXP applied to comics :0 I told him if this was successful we could actually market a service locally and on forums at 10.00/book. I told him most pressing services adjust the rate due to a books age,but if there is no liability issues then there would be no need to scale pricing. Anyway, will have some examples tomorrow or Tuesday up to see __________________ *Square one, here I come*

07-30-2012, 08:31 PM	#4
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	Your thread motivated me I have several books that are 3-4 grades lower than they could be because of ripples/water issues. I have an Xmen #47 that is so vibrant it looks brand new. The down side is it has a massive number of ripples on the front. I had debated on finding a seal press to attempt to practice this technique and if I can refine the process of doing it, actually offer it as a service. So, I call the "Find it" guy locally and he said he knew exactly what I was after and why as his mother had one she used to press flowers and other such items for a hobby. he said he would see if she still has it and let me use it to practice with and if I am able to get the general concept down,sell it to me cheap With that in mind, your issue has to be a fairly common one so I intend to take a sheet of paper and press hard and write my name so it presses through and onto the comic and see if it can be resolved this way as well Been thinking about getting a press for about 2 months now, your post motivated me to give it a go __________________ *Square one, here I come*

07-31-2012, 03:18 AM	#7
Cujobyte Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: New Mexico Posts: 6,627 Cujobyte29	Yup, I do pressing. And that's Matt's company (Classics Incorporated). I learned from the same guy who taught him. It's much to late to go into any detail, but pm me if any questions. Good luck learning it on your own Gibberish, yes I'd suggest lot of practice.

08-03-2012, 02:20 PM	#11
IndySportsCards Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: EO 13848 Posts: 41,661 braco0 IndySportsCards	That's exciting news Gibberish. Looking forward to seeing/hearing about the results __________________ Most people would rather be in the majority, than be right.

08-03-2012, 02:33 PM	#12
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	Yah, he already explained a few things to me. Said there is a type of paper called Archival/Transfer that has to be on top and bottom. Says nothing will stick to it,so it is best. Also said have to press both sides and then apply pressure once it is done, at room temp. I am excited myself as well __________________ *Square one, here I come*

08-03-2012, 03:19 PM	#13
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	2 books i will be trying 1 has minor damage and the difference in grade would be .2-.5 IMO Minor spine crease and minor ripple at the staple MAJOR issues on this one It was water logged which, IMO, actually helped preserve the book since I am assuming it was tossed in a book after drying. The color is bordering on new/mint but the ripples still remain Spine shows minor stress and there is minor water stains visible in on the tops of the letters in X-Men. As it sits it's a 5. I will press it and hope it would be closer to a 7 and then I am going to try a processes using water only to remove the stains then repress it. If the stains go away,after repressing, I think the book would be an 8-8.5 Anyway,this should be fun ! __________________ *Square one, here I come*

08-04-2012, 05:53 PM	#14
IndySportsCards Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: EO 13848 Posts: 41,661 braco0 IndySportsCards	Here are some examples from a guy who has been posting of his restoration and pressing work __________________ Most people would rather be in the majority, than be right.

08-04-2012, 06:42 PM	#15
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	Saw those a few weeks back,they are from years ago. The issues are no one wants to talk about techniques. It's all HUSH HUSH Sour dough bread,Rice paste,heat seal paper,etc. they just show you pics and try to keep it a mystery The logic behind it is silly. It is predisposed to assume everyone else is a crook and will restore and destroy the market. My 1st go at pressing was educational Needless to say that some newer books cannot be pressed with the staples in the book due to the metal heating up and pulling ink off of the pages....C'est la vie Poyo SDCC signed variant I was able to remove all ripples from the Xmen book....and then after cold weight cooling...new one's popped up. I am assuming these were caused by inaccurate temperate and pressure. left Oliver with a few ideas and will check them on Tuesday. I am willing to consider staple removal to remove spine stress on newer books as that has to be the only way to remove stress creases on those Image titles with the staple issue I noticed today. I thought at 1st lowering the temp may do it, but then common sense kicked in,the pressure was part of the factor as well and reducing both would show little to no improvement. Anyway, blindly I go, a learning process with a nasty curve,but onward I do go __________________ *Square one, here I come*

08-04-2012, 06:45 PM	#16
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	BTW found Erasers for sell on ebay with the following image as to show what Archival erasers can do That explains entry level dry cleaning. Not really keen on wiping a comic with Bread though :P Also with the erasers, you have to wear gloves evidently or your oils can leech into the eraser...which is bad I assume __________________ *Square one, here I come*

08-05-2012, 06:37 AM	#17
Cujobyte Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: New Mexico Posts: 6,627 Cujobyte29	Here's one of the books I pressed, was formerly 9.2ish at best. I've pressed for others, but rarely have time to do it lately. Good luck gib in your learnings tho!! Just use cheapy books lol.

08-05-2012, 12:35 PM	#18
Gibberish Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: North Georgia Posts: 8,047	Still trying to figure out how to press the newer books without the staple doing damage to the inside of the book __________________ *Square one, here I come*